The Harkavy family traveled to Israel in December for 12 nights in honor of their daughter’s recent Bat Mitzvah.  The Family Traveler created a custom and privately guided trip for this South Florida family of four (with two teenage girls ages 15 and 13) with an exciting variety of adventures, activities, sightseeing, history and culture included.  The family began (and ended) their trip in Tel Aviv where they had a special tour of the nearby Weizmann Institute of Science with a private tour  thanks to family connections with the research center.  Visits to the Ayalon Institute, Palmach Museum and Diaspora Museum where they traced their family back 300 years were also highlights.  The family then headed into the Galilee where they stayed in a kibbutz guest house and met with local kibbutzniks.  They explored a wide variety of destinations in the region including the Golan Heights where they rode horses and got an expansive view of the landscape.  In Jerusalem, the family experienced the Southern Wall excavations, explored the Old City in depth and planted trees along with visits to the Knesset, Holocaust Museum and more.  Their adventure continued into the Negev Desert with a stay on the Dead Sea, climb up Masada and an exciting camel ride.  Overall the family was very appreciative of their guide who proved to be a grandfatherly figure to the Harkavy teenage girls.  The guide captured the girls’ attention and brought the country’s past, present and future alive to the entire family.